The last half of the 20th century was a time of tremendous change for Boone County. ​ The county’s population, which had been declining slowly since [[1890]], surged ahead in the 1940s; between 1940 and 1950 it increased by 20 percent. ​ In 1946 a new Cincinnati ​[[airport|[[cincinnati_northern_kentucky_international_airport|airport]] (now the Cincinnati/​Northern Kentucky International Airport) was dedicated in northeastern Boone County. ​ At over 50 years of age, the airport is old enough to be considered a historic resource under Federal guidelines.

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The last half of the 20th century was a time of tremendous change for Boone County. ​ The county’s population, which had been declining slowly since [[1890]], surged ahead in the 1940s; between 1940 and 1950 it increased by 20 percent. ​ In 1946 a new Cincinnati [[cincinnati_northern_kentucky_international_airport|airport]] (now the Cincinnati/​Northern Kentucky International Airport) was dedicated in northeastern Boone County. ​ At over 50 years of age, the airport is old enough to be considered a historic resource under Federal guidelines.

With the construction of interstates 71, 75 and 275 in the late 1960s, Boone County became one of the fastest-growing counties in the region. ​ The development of the [[Florence Mall]] and the creation of the Northern Kentucky Industrial Park gave impetus to rapid suburban development. ​ Shopping centers clustered around the Mall; factories, warehouses, and office buildings located along Interstate 275, near the airport, and along the Dixie Highway. ​ Subdivisions proliferated around Florence, Union, [[Richwood]],​ [[Hebron]] and Burlington. ​ In the process many rural historic resources, especially in the populous eastern corridor, were lost to development. ​ The relatively isolated western river corridor, however, retained more of its rural flavor.

With the construction of interstates 71, 75 and 275 in the late 1960s, Boone County became one of the fastest-growing counties in the region. ​ The development of the [[Florence Mall]] and the creation of the Northern Kentucky Industrial Park gave impetus to rapid suburban development. ​ Shopping centers clustered around the Mall; factories, warehouses, and office buildings located along Interstate 275, near the airport, and along the Dixie Highway. ​ Subdivisions proliferated around Florence, Union, [[Richwood]],​ [[Hebron]] and Burlington. ​ In the process many rural historic resources, especially in the populous eastern corridor, were lost to development. ​ The relatively isolated western river corridor, however, retained more of its rural flavor.